Labour ensures difficult expenditure decisions are fair and balanced

I have stated that even accounting for the current financial challenges facing the country, Labour has ensured that fairness and balance are evident in today's Budget statement on expenditure.

In Social Protection, weekly payment rates have been maintained, there are no changes in state pension rates and payments to carers have been preserved. These people are the most vulnerable in our society and we have protected their payments.

In education, funding has been prioritised and targeted to areas of educational disadvantage to address imbalances within the system. The pupil teacher ratio for primary schools has been maintained and there are no cuts in the numbers of Special Needs Assistants and Resource Teachers. At second level, DEIS band 1 schools have been completely protected and given a more favourable staffing allocation. Labour has shown that educational disadvantage can still be tackled even at a time of reduced funding and increased pressures on the system.

These core areas of interest for the Labour party have been prioritised and protected, even while very difficult decisions have been made elsewhere.

Minister Howlin made a telling point today that the calls for simplistic solutions to our challenges are wearing thin. We entered Government with the objectives of getting people back to work and restoring our financial sovereignty. This is what we are doing and suggestions that this can be done without unpalatable measures being taken are misleading and disingenuous.

I recently called for budgetary decision making to be done on the basis of equality, to ensure those who are most vulnerable are least impacted. This request has been heeded as this budget statement on expenditure, although tough, has protected those on the lowest incomes, prioritised education funding to disadvantaged areas and outlined new measures to help the unemployed.

This is what Labour entered Government to do and we will continue to ensure that fairness and balance are at the heart of Government decision making.